


Inside Job

by lost_in_a_nebula



Category: Sherlock (TV), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M, Rape trauma, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-03
Updated: 2012-09-03
Packaged: 2017-11-13 11:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/503255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_in_a_nebula/pseuds/lost_in_a_nebula
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers need to enrol the assistance of a certain Consulting Detective and his companion to deal with an intruder and how he intruded.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inside Job

“Take away the suit and what are you?” Sherlock growled.

“Take away the coat and what’re you?” Tony countered. “How many times have I been asked that question?! Must everyone question my morals?” Tony turned to Steve and John.

“All the files I’ve ready say you’re a nightmare to work with.” John shrugged, not yet convinced.

“In the workshop; I work in solitude. Did you read Natasha’s report? That’s not particularly accurate, it was a bad week, and I was dying.”

“Aren’t we all?” Sherlock asked, fiddling with a small handheld device he was yet to discover the purpose of.

“Not from palladium poisoning. That was also the week I invented a new element.”

“You think that’ll impress me?”

“It impressed your boyfriend.” Tony smirked.

“I’m not his boyfriend! I’m not gay.” John sighed.

“Puh-lease, the sexual tension in here is unbelievable. Or is that us, honey-bun?” Tony asked, making Steve smile and John fidget awkwardly.

“I will never understand the playboy type.” John muttered.

“You passed the denial stage, grumpy guts?” Tony teased Sherlock.

“I don’t need to proclaim my sexuality to the likes of you.”

“Shall we get on with the task?” Steve suggested.

“Why did you summon me?”

“God, you sound like Thor.” Tony whined.

“We had a break in. The intruder has been kept on site but we need you to find out how he got in.”

“What evidence is there? Your security relies on Mr Stark’s security protocols.”

“He can’t find the hole in the code.” Steve lowered his voice; Tony was still adamant he wasn’t at fault.

“And I prefer _Lord_ Stark if you don’t mind.” Tony chirped.

“Where did he enter?” Sherlock ignored Tony’s petty request.

“The roof.”

“Show me.”

Steve led Sherlock, John and Lord Stark to the roof.

“Could it be identity theft? If you’ve got the right status surely it’s not hard to open closed doors?” John asked Steve.

“The only people that can get in from the roof are the ones who’ve left from inside the building.” Steve explained.

“They broke in, but found a way of by-passing the programme that alerted me.” Tony added. Sherlock listened, narrowing down the theories in his head. They were outside and they all turned to Sherlock.

“How did he get onto the roof?”

“Parachuted from a vehicle off our radar.” Tony answered.

“So where’s the parachute?”

“In the back-pack we confiscated from him.”

“It must have taken time to put the parachute away and there’s 7 CCTV cameras out here.”

“Nothing showed up – they froze the image.”

“Why didn’t you notice?”

“I was building a new no-hands communications unit, invisible to the naked eye and completely untraceable – I was a bit busy. Watching security cameras is not my job.”

“What did he do next?”

“He went to Tony’s old lab and tried hacking the systems.” Steve took over; they didn’t need Lord Stark and Mr Holmes to start fighting. “It’s must more heavily encrypted so Tony was alerted and we put him in the cage.”

“Is the cage more secure than the roof?”

“We’ve held God’s in that cage.”

“The God of Mischief got out.”

“This guy hasn’t got superhuman abilities – he won’t get out.”

“I want to talk to him.”

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Steve asked.

“He's not armed is he? Not aggressive? He used intelligence to get in - he won't harm me.”

“If you're sure, Sherlock.” Steve shrugged, leading him to an interrogation room and leaving to get the man from the cage. He didn't mean to leave Tony and Sherlock in a room together with only John to referee.

“What do you intend to ask this guy?” Tony asked.

“You don't know what you can get from a suspect until you ask them.” Sherlock remained silent about his interrogation technique.

“We couldn't even get his name. Have you seen Fury? He's terrifying.”

“Is he the one with one eye?” John asked cautiously.

“Yes. Eye-patches are creepy. But don't say that anywhere near him.”

“I'll get something from him.” Sherlock drummed his fingers on the table.

“And I'd prefer to do it alone, if you don't mind.”

“I have better things to do anyway.” Tony huffed as he left. John lingered.

“You don't seriously expect me to wait out there with him?”

“He's a billionaire, John - nothing to be scared of.” Sherlock teased.

“I'm not scared.” John strode determinedly from the interrogation room and stood awkwardly with Tony, who instantly started questioning his relationship with Sherlock just to wind him up.

Steve brought the prisoner in, hand cuffing him to the table and making sure Sherlock wanted to continue before leaving them to it.

“John, I hear you're an ex-soldier?” Steve asked, building on the thing they had in common. Tony rolled his eyes - not more soldiers.

“Yes, served my duty in Afghanistan.”

“Front line?”

“Doctor.”

“A medical man?”

“Yes.”

“Impressive. Bruce is a Doctor too.”

“The Hulk?”

“Yes. He's really good; keeps us all in one piece.” Steve smiled down at the smaller man. His physique seemed unlikely for war, Steve thought, but times had changed, weapons were more developed; the British army clearly operated differently.

“I did some research on your pal.” Tony announced.

“Did you find his website?”

“The Science of Deduction. Interesting. I met Mycroft Holmes once – didn’t know they were related.”

“No one assumes they’re related.”

“He seems just as difficult to work with as me, in my defence.”

“He is, but he’s not interviewed telling the press to go-”

“No, he’s the Hat Man. We’re both infamous, clearly.”

“Tony, let it go. They’re here to _help_.” Steve warned.

“I know. I’m sorry. But I just think-”

“Keep it to yourself, for now.” Steve splayed his hand on Tony’s chest, covering the arc reactor and the skin around it, the contact calming him.

“Okay, I’m sorry John.” Tony apologised. John nodded – brushing it off.

Sherlock burst out the room and turned back to face the others. “I need to see your employee offices.”

“You’re done already? How? You’ve been in there for, like, 3 minutes!” Tony gasped.

“I told you that you didn’t know what you could get from a suspect until you asked them.” Sherlock smirked. “Your employee offices?”

“Why do we need to involve the office workers?” Steve asked. “What did you find out?”

“His name’s Blake Ross.”

“And?” John inquired.

“He didn’t say anything else.”

“But you noticed?”

“He had help getting in.”

“How do you know that?” Steve jumped.

“All our employees are double checked, triple checked; no one could-” Tony explained.

“But they have.” Sherlock smirked, proving Tony wrong once again. “So; offices?”

Steve led the way and Tony followed, not wanting to be left out of Sherlock’s shenanigans.

“What do you want to do, interrogate them all? There’s 500 employees here for Stark Industries you can’t interview them all.”

“I don’t need to. I just need to observe.” Sherlock smirked, enjoying outsmarting the cleverest and most effective crime fighting team in the world. They headed towards the offices and Sherlock started wondering up and down the aisles of boxed offices, listening to people’s phone calls, frantic typing and the photocopier in the corner rumbling as someone tried to change the ink.

Tony, Steve and John watched him, noticing how painfully out of place he looked in a room full of samey pencil pushers in his mysterious coat.

“What is he doing?” Steve asked John, watching Sherlock smelling pens and disrupting people.

“It’s best not to ask unless you want to be severely patronised and insulted.” John sighed.

“I know what that feels like.” Steve muttered, thinking of those times he’d spent with Bruce and Tony. “What’s he doing with that girl?”

The three jogged after the Consulting Detective and the anonymous girl, hoping Sherlock wasn’t scaring her too much.

“This is the one who helped him in.” Sherlock declared when they stopped him. She was shaking, scared clearly, but neither denying nor defending herself.

“How do you know?”

“Nervous shake, anxiously glancing up at anyone that walked past and jumped out of her skin when I announced myself – clearly got a guilty conscience.” Sherlock explained. “And I could smell her perfume on Blake. A tiny trace, but there.”

“So you’re fired.” Tony stated, sass dripping from his every word.

“Please, Mr Stark, he tortured my husband, he toyed with my mind; I didn’t have a choice.” She begged.

“Leave her, Tony.” Steve calmed. “What’s your name?” He took control – brushed Sherlock’s firm grip on her arm away.

“Hughes, Captain Rogers Sir, Kimberly Hughes.”

“Kimberly, we’re going to need to talk to you about these events.” Steve tried to remain friendly but it was less than likely she’d be able to retain her position in Stark Industries.

They sat her down in the darkened interrogation room – highlighting her pale complexion and tear stained cheeks. She was terrified, but trying not to fall apart completely in front of her employers – hoping to grip on to her job with whatever thin threads remained.

“How did he contact you?” Steve asked, John was sat next to him. Sherlock and Tony remained in the shadowed corners of the room.

“He broke into my flat.” She whimpered. “He’d tied up, Will was tied up, he was hurt, he, Blake tortured him.” Kimberly began to cry, putting her hands over her mouth and trying to contain sobs. “He tortured Will, _my_ William until I agreed to help him. It didn’t take me long to get the access codes but then he killed him anyway. My husband is dead.”

“How did you get the access codes?” Tony asked.

“The codes to access each floor are in pattern. I worked out the sequence and the codes were there.”

“I added a personalised each code on the top three storeys, how did you bypass that?”

“Everything is stored on the master computer in Director Fury’s office; I snuck in and hacked his access card to find the codes for the upper floors. It wasn’t hard to freeze the CCTV cameras after that – I did that from my desk.”

“We have a hacker.” Sherlock announced, though anyone could have deduced that.

“I’m an expert in coding. That’s why Ross came to me. I’ve been programming machines since I was 12.”

“A genius programmer – wonderful. That’s probably the reason I hired you.” Tony mused.

“He toyed with my mind! He teased me, talked about Lucy, I couldn’t,”

“Who’s Lucy?” Sherlock asked, stepping forward from the darkness, putting his hands on the table.

“She was- Will and I married in panic because I was pregnant. I was 21, I didn’t want it. But she died. Lucy died. Will stuck around anyway and now he’s gone.”

“Did you agree to any terms with him?” Steve asked.

“He promised I’d live if I got him inside.”

“Which you did,”

“He said I’d be safe if I got him out. I’ve not been home since you caught him, he’s got to have people on the outside; they’ll kill me.”

“Where’ve you been hiding?”

“In the staff room mainly. I used the showers at the employee gym and the spare clothes I keep in my locker. Are you- what’s going to happen to me now?”

Steve turned to Tony; he got the final say here.

“Where’s your husband’s body?”

“Still in the flat, I’ve been staying with a friend. I couldn’t face it; I didn’t know what to do. Please don’t fire me, Mr Stark – this job’s all I’ve got left.”

“Your job is safe. You may even have earned yourself a promotion. You’re safe now Kim, I promise.” Tony was genuine.

“You you’ve met him more than once?” Sherlock asked.

“What’re you talking about?” John asked.

Sherlock skimmed over the three confused faces. “Am I really the only one that noticed? Bruises on the wrists, flinched when I touched her, her skirt is clearly uncomfortable on her hips or she wouldn’t be squirming quite as much. She’s faced something disgustingly intimate with this man.”

“I’m in the room; you can stop calling me ‘she’.”

“And she doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“If you’re insinuating what I assume you’re insinuating I don’t blame her, Sherlock.” John tried to stop him.

“Who _wants_ to talk about rape?” Kimberly snapped, fresh tears welling.

“How? He couldn’t attack you at your friend’s house?”

“He stopped me on my way home. He came here a couple of times – my office is only on the second floor; you don’t need passcodes for the stairs.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Steve asked tenderly.

“Every day. For a month. I felt so… _used_. I was merely a toy. A toy he needed to bring down Stark Industries from the inside. And I gave them the codes. They don’t need me anymore.”

“He didn’t work alone?” John asked.

“He was part of a bigger group. Why don’t you think he’s tried to escape?”

“JARVIS; protect the workshops – get extra surveillance, guards, the whole shebang.” Tony barked.

“Yes Sir.” Kim jumped, surprised by the voice in the wall.

“Did he hurt you in any other way?” John asked. Kim shook her head.

“What happens now?”

“You stay here until we can track down and destroy Ross’ accomplices.”

“I don’t know any names, I’m sorry.”

“Did you exchange phone numbers or emails?” Tony asked.

“He did everything in person.”

“Okay, Steve stay with her. Sherlock, John – you go back to Ross, I’ll get a feed from you to me; anything he says or you deduce, I’ll hear.” Tony instructed.

“What’re you going to do?” Sherlock asked.

“Retrace his steps – our radar’s may not have picked him up but someone will.” Tony ran off to his workshop. Sherlock left as hastily and John followed.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck babysitting.” Kim whispered.

“No, it’s not babysitting. You need protection.”

“Why? Surely I’m a traitor? A danger to the company?”

“Anyone would have done the same. This Will guy; did you love him?”

“No.” Kim breathed. “I _do_ love him. Always.”

“We’ll get a team to your flat, clean it out for you.”

“Thank you, Captain Rogers.”

“Steve. Please, call me Steve.”

“Thank you, Steve.”

Steve gently reached out his large palm, slowly placing it over Kim’s nimble fingers. She jumped but didn’t retract.

“You’re very brave, Kimberly Hughes. You took a big risk, especially in a company as high tech as Tony’s.”

“I’m not brave; I’m scared.”

“Blake’s secure, no one can get to you here.”

“Not of that. Blake never wore protection; I could be carrying his child for all I know. Symptoms of pregnancy get all mixed up with stress and fear and grief. I don’t understand my body anymore, my body is… his.” Kim rambled.

“Your body is not in the possession of anyone else and never will be. You’re under the highest of protection here and you can stay as long as you feel necessary.” Steve promised. “William _will_ be avenged.”

Kim sniffed and blinked, tears running down her cheeks. “Thank you.”

.

“Sir, the lower office floors have been compromised.” JARVIS announced. “They’re looking for Blake Ross and Kimberly Hughes.”

“They only start to be a threat to the industry if they reach Fury’s office. Is anyone in the upper floors of the tower?”

“Only the Avengers, Sir.”

“Tell them to suit up and guard Fury’s office. Put every floor above in lock down, now overrides from anyone until I say otherwise.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Tony grabbed the suitcase Iron Man and took it down to the lower floors; he needed to consult Steve.

But Steve and Kimberly were tied up. Steve was trying to calm Kimberly but there was a blade held to her neck and flashbacks of Ross circling her mind.

“Mr Stark, we’ve been waiting.”

“Let them go; you can have me.”

“It’s not you we want. It’s your weapons.”

“I don’t produce weapons.”

“But you did. And you’re too sentimental to throw out Daddy’s blueprints, aren’t you Stark?”

“I think you’ll find that’s Stark- _Rogers_.”

“Not now, Tony.” Steve sighed.

“We just need to hold you here until we have the information and our man. If you make a move; she dies.”

Kim whimpered, managing to contain the terrified screams for fear of her life.

Tony racked his brain for some way to get JARVIS to tell the others to attack – kill every last one of them. He draw a blank.

One of Ross’ co-Stark-stealers received a message through his in-ear.

“He’s what?” he growled. He growled. “Kill them. Kill them both.” He barked. He moved the blade from Kim’s neck, drew a gun and shot her. “Ross is dead. You’re lucky we were ordered to leave your precious Avengers untouched.” He skulked past Tony, his two accomplices. Tony grabbed the blade they’d left, cutting Steve and Kim free. Kim was bleeding heavily – they’d missed her heart but any shot was a bullet breaking flesh. Her stomach was bleeding heavily.

“JARVIS, get Bruce in here now.” Tony muttered as Steve took off his jacket. Tony examined the wound.

“It’ll need stitches, just try and stop the bleeding.” Tony instructed.

“Go stop the others.” Kim breathed. “Both of you. Before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Doctor Banner’s on his way, sir.” JARVIS informed.

“How many of them is there?” Steve asked.

“Twenty four, sir.” JARVIS replied.

“Go protect the company.” Kim was fading.

“Not until Banner gets her.” Steve argued. “Tony, suit up and go – you’re more use downstairs.” Tony glanced from Steve to Kim and obeyed.

“Am I going to die?”

“No, no you’re not. Bruce can save you; he’s saved worse than this. You’ll be fine.” Steve tried to reassure her. He held her hand and pressed his jacket against the flow of blood, but leather wasn’t much use.

Bruce jogged in, holding up Steve’s shield – knowing he’d want it.

“Thank you Bruce! Kim, Bruce, Bruce, Kim.” He introduced quickly.

“Just go, Cap.” Bruce instructed, putting Kim’s arm round his shoulder and helping her walk to medical, but the doors to the upper floors were locked. “JARVIS?”

“I’ve been told not to open these floors to anyone, Dr Banner.”

“JARVIS, please?”

“Apologies, Dr Banner.”

“Now what?” Kim asked, pulling away from Bruce to lean against the wall, panting heavily. But Bruce was already calling Tony. He didn’t answer.

“All my equipment is in the medical department. I don’t have anything I can treat you with.” Bruce explained, running his hand through his hair and trying to control his heart rate.

“It’s okay. I’ll be okay.” She tried to calm him – she worked in the Avengers tower; she knew who Dr Bruce Banner could become. “Go help the others, I can cope on my own.” She lied.

“I’m sorry, Kim, I’m so sorry.” He apologised, running off down the corridor and shifting into his huge green form, not wanting to hurt her. And Kimberly was alone, slowly allowing the quiet sobs to pass her lips, avoiding looking at her blood stained fingers. She didn’t know how much time had passed when the heard the English accent emitting from the walls again.

“Mr Stark has lifted the lock down, Miss.”

“Uh, okay, good, thanks.” She muttered, using the wall to stand up and stumble through the door, trying to find medical. But she was completely lost in the upper section of the tower. “Uuh, JARVIS?” She struggled to remember the AI’s name.

“Yes Miss?”

“JARVIS, where’s Dr Banner?”

“Looking for you, Miss.”

“But where?”

“Round the corner to your left, Miss.”

“Thank you.”

She found Dr Banner and he put her under general anaesthetic to stitch the bullet wound, to help her sleep if nothing else – she clearly hadn’t for days.

“Is she going to be alright?” Steve asked, John not too far away.

“She’ll be fine. She’s doing well. Uh, who is she?”

“We’ll fill you in later. I’ve got to go make sure Tony and Sherlock aren’t at each other’s throats.” Steve smiled and left, John following him. They chatted idly about their experiences as soldiers – Steve’s was a lot more musical than John’s. And involved punching Hitler in the face.

But Sherlock and Tony weren’t killing each other – they were interrogating each other’s intelligence.

“So you noticed her _pulse_ and knew your name was the passcode?” Tony was impressed.

“It was simple.”

“And her bra size was the code to the safe?”

“Yes. So how did you say the electromagnet in your heart works?”

“It keeps the shards away from my heart so they won’t kill me. It’s handy really.”

“And you replaced the palladium with the element you created?”

“And it tasted like coconuts.”

“Are you two quite finished?”  Steve chuckled.

“C’mon Sherlock, we’ve got a plane to catch.” John agreed.

The two intellectually superior men turned to each other and prepared their goodbyes.

“So you shot Ross? He’s definitely dead?”

“Most certainly; dead.”

“That was good. Well done, Holmes. You’re good.”

“Thank you. I look forward to working with you in the future.” Sherlock smiled courteously.

“Who says you will be-”

“I clearly will.”

Tony smirked. “Till then.”


End file.
